


An Exercise In Subtility

by Kunstpause



Series: Ambitions [4]
Category: Star Wars Legends: The Old Republic
Genre: Gen, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-10
Updated: 2016-11-10
Packaged: 2018-08-30 04:57:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,643
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8519317
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kunstpause/pseuds/Kunstpause
Summary: Their contingency plan was ruthless and basically consisted of throwing the other to the wolves. But it was the only viable way both of them could think of that would keep at least one of them afloat. And given her track record Shiwon was rather certain it would not be her.





	

The lights were flickering on and off while the holoprojector tried to establish a connection. Shiwon watched with with a tension in her body that wouldn’t leave her since she left Dromund Kaas behind a couple of days ago. She was worried. Worried about her future. Worried about the far too powerful being currently residing on the planet she would call home. Worried about her best friend running headfirst into danger she did not fully understand.

 

Shiwon had all the confidence in the universe in Jiune to know what she was risking personally and to go up against the Emperor. What she doubted though was her ability to even get far enough to strike at him. From what intel she gathered the Republic was going for a bold distraction. All in all not a bad plan. If it weren’t doomed to fail. She wasn’t sure where the SiS got their information from but most of what they had been working with was terribly wrong. Shiwon had been worried sick for weeks before her people could accurately pinpoint a time frame for the Jedi’s plans. 

 

She admired what her friend was going to do. And the last bit of the idealist that she once was still living inside of her had every hope she would succeed. But Shiwon didn’t get to where she was by listening to that voice. She got here by largely ignoring it. At the end of the day the facts gathered from both secret services painted a clear picture: Jiune would try to kill the Emperor and while the chances of her being able to take him out were not even that bad in Siwon’s books, her chance of even making it to him alive with the plans she had intercepted from the SiS was nonexistent. Whatever information the Jedi had about Dromund Kaas it was incomplete, outdated and would lead them right to their end.

 

The lights were stabilising as the holo device finally came to life and the bluish hue started to outline her friends silhouette. 

 

“Shiwon,” Jiune greeted. She sounded surprised and distracted. Looking like she was every bit as on edge as Shiwon herself was. “Why are you calling?” Her friend’s face seemed puzzled. “Not that I am complaining of course, it is just surprising?” She hastily added.

 

Shiwon chuckled at that. “I bet it is. I just…” She faltered for a moment. Her first instinct was to call and warn her friend. Now that she did the first part her brain seemed to be kicking in again. She would have to be very careful. She wasn’t even certain that Jiune would believe her if she told her outright. They had made so much progress in getting to know each other again over the last year. But still, the nagging feeling persisted: Ultimately Jiune didn’t fully trust her. And Shiwon couldn’t even blame her for it. Most days she could barely fully trust herself. She sighed.  
“I just got your letter and I felt like talking to you directly for a little bit.” She confessed. “Unless this is a bad time?”

 

Jiune seemed torn, Her eyes going restlessly to something besides the holoprojector and back. “It’s a bit…” She seemed on the verge of saying something different before her face changed into the more peaceful version of Jiune that Shiwon normally got to see. “No, it’s fine, I can make some time,” she said. “How are you doing?”

 

Shiwon tried to match her more relaxed expression. “I am doing well, I am actually on my way to Tatooine right now, my Archaeologist wants to check some Rakata ruins out and I thought I’d combine that with your tip about Ilum - that sounded amazing.” Shiwon was glad that she had years of Sith training and lying through her teeth while looking completely honest was not even her second nature but more of a general modus operandi for her by now. She could see Jiune visibly relax at that and all but confirm her suspicions that her rambling on and on in her last letter was her friend’s idea of a subtle warning. She couldn’t help but slightly smile at the thought of being important enough to her to warrant such a risk. Now she had to return the favour. She was past the point of caring if what she was doing could be considered treason. The only thing that mattered now was to get the information Jiune needed to her in a way that would make her believe it. 

 

“Listen Jiune, I actually have something to tell you.” She started. “Something very important and you have to promise me to at least think about what I have to say and not to outright reject it.” She could see the face of her friend changing, becoming more serious. 

 

“Alright,” Jiune sounded guarded over the transmission. “I am listening.”

 

Shiwon just took a breath to start talking when the intercom interrupted her. 

 

“My lord,” Ashara’s voice could be heard through the room. “You have a priority call from Darth Marr. It says it is very urgent.”

 

Shiwon nodded to herself and looked at Jiune. “Look, this is really important, but so is what I have to tell you. I’ll make it quick, just, wait a couple of minutes?” She implored her friend. Jiune just nodded. “Great, don’t go anywhere, I’ll be back i a moment.” Shiwon put her on standby. It was now or never. A few seconds after Jiune’s image disappeared from the holo the channel to Darth Marr opened and Shiwon flicked the switch to her friend’s channel again, hoping that it would indeed look like an accident. All she could hope for was that Jiune actually waited for her in front of her holoterminal still. If her friend went away this would all be useless.

 

“Darth Nox, are you in position?” Came Marr’s voice straight to the point as he appeared before her.

 

“Darth Marr, hello to you too. What a wonderful day we are having, isn’t it?” Before he could do his very own version of rolling his eyes at her that usually was indicated by an exasperated sigh she continued. “I am in position, so is my fleet. We have passed out of direct communication range from Dromund Kaas half an hour ago.”

 

“Good,” came his satisfied answer. “Though I question your tendency for levity in such a grave situation.” 

 

Shiwon snickered. “Well, you know I am of the opinion that you could always use more levity Marr. But continue.”

 

He ignored her last comment deliberately. “I have coordinated with the minister of logistics. There will be only a skeleton crew contingent of soldiers patrolling the jungle. But it is not possible to pull off even more of our forces from the city itself without arousing suspicion.”

 

Shiwon nodded thoughtfully. She hoped Jiune was watching and drawing the right conclusion from this. 

 

“What about the temple?”She asked. 

 

“Minimal troops only, but the Emperor’s guard will still be there in full force.” He seemed to be hesitant to say the next bit. “But from the reports we got of Hoth that should not pose a problem.” 

 

Shiwon was grinning inwardly. She could only imagine how much he disliked praising a Jedi, even indirectly. With a few quick presses of buttons she sent over the documents she still wanted him to see.

 

“I have confirmation from Darth Vowrawn that he is deploying only the most loyal soldiers to the Emperor himself around the city.” She said cheerfully.

 

Darth Marr scoffed. “Of course he would.” He seemed amused and slightly angered at the same time. “Vowrawn knows how to play this game, there is no way he would let the opportunity slip to stack the deck as much as possible.” He looked at her directly. “Are you still sure it was wise to involve him in this?” She knew he was asking for her motivations, not her permission. Vowrawn would not have been informed of recent developments if Marr didn’t trust him to some degree. 

 

“I do.” Shiwon simply said. “I may not know him very well but the Wrath trusts him. And I, in turn, trust her. She says he is on our side and that is good enough for me.” 

 

Maar seemed satisfied with her answer. He may not know the Wrath very well yet but he seemed to trust Shiwon’s judgement in that regard.  
Shiwon opened the map with all their important fleet movement. She desperately hoped Jiune was watching this and paying close attention. 

 

“When will your fleet be out of reach from the Dromund system?” She asked Marr casually. 

 

“I am expecting the last of it to be out of reach in about 5 hours.” He seemed confident in their plan and it gave Shiwon more than just a spark of hope that this was actually the right thing to do. 

 

“Then we have done all we could.” 

 

He nodded. “Indeed.” There was a short pause before he continued. “Nox, you are aware of the consequences if this gets out? And what both of us will have to do to each other should that come to pass?”

 

Shiwon couldn’t stop herself from laughing out. If her voice sounded bitter she refused to acknowledge it. “Am I aware that we are basically committing treason for the good of the Empire? That all I have reached so far will burn and turn to ashes if I just make one tiny mistake?” She snorted. “It had crossed my mind Marr. And I know what to do. If anyone gets wind of this we will denounce each other and do whatever we have to so one of us is still standing after this is all over.” Their contingency plan was ruthless and basically consisted of throwing the other to the wolves. But it was the only viable way both of them could think of that would keep at least one of them afloat. And given her track record Shiwon was rather certain it would not be her.

 

“We have to be prepared for all eventualities.” Marr’s voice made it clear that he didn’t like it anymore than she did. But he was nothing if not pragmatic.

 

“We are.” She agreed. “But enough of the doom and gloom scenario - we are not going to fail and when we get back to Dromund Kaas you are going to take me to dinner.” Shiwon proclaimed with a confidence that she didn’t really feel.

 

She wasn’t sure if it was static or if Marr actually snorted. “I am?” He asked amused. “I recall no such offer.”

 

“Oh please,” Shiwon waved her hand dismissively at him. “You said you want to talk alliances and I talk best over food.” She smirked. 

 

“In that case I should better reservations of course, I wouldn’t want a possible political benefit fall through on the grounds of you being hungry.” At his reply Shiwon grinned widely.

 

“See Marr? A little levity never hurts!” 

 

“Perhaps not.” He sounded as dry as ever. “I assume you are aware there is no where on Dromund Kaas we could have dinner together and not have it headline every newschannel within hours?”

 

As much as she worried about some things, these were the parts of her position she actually was delighted in. “Oh believe me, I am fully counting on that!” And she was, both for entertainment and political gain. Zash would have been be proud of her.  
Marr looked away from the holoprojector for a moment. “I am afraid I must get back to the bridge.” He nodded at her. “May the force serve you and see you to the other side.”

 

“I wish the same to you,” Shiwon answered and with a final look cut the connection. It was done. Everything was in motion now. She just hoped it would go into the right direction. She took a deep breath and settled into her ‘nothing at all going on’ face again before she turned around and brought Jiune’s picture back up. After a short fake fiddle with the controls to turn her sound and video back on she looked apologetically at her friend. 

 

“I am sorry this took so long, I tried to make it fast but it was important.” 

 

Jiune looked rattled and Shiwon desperately hoped that it was for the right reasons. She was right on continuing when Jiune interrupted her. 

 

“Don’t worry but you know, I really have to go.” Shiwon felt almost a little bad watching her friend struggle with what was possibly a thousand thoughts running through her head and her feeble try to look like nothing was wrong. She wished she could just outright say what was on her mind. But the chance that Jiune would not completely trust in the information she just got would only increase if she knew Shiwon had given it to her deliberately. She just hoped that if Jiune ever grew suspicious it would be way after everything was done. And giving her an actual reason for her call in the first place was vital. Thankfully Shiwon actually had one. 

 

“Just give me a couple of seconds please,” she implored her friend. “I really have to tell you something.” She could sense Jiune’s uneasiness half way through the galaxy as her friend shook her head. “Shiwon, I really have to go…”

 

“Andronikos and I are getting married.” Shiwon just burst out, throwing Jiune into stunned silence. “Ehm,” she cleared her throat, “we decided to last night. Mostly for practical reasons because neither of us actually feels like we need the label for our relationship but well, it’s still kind of a big deal you know? And I was wondering, well, I was kinda hoping you would perhaps…” She desperately wished that she had written the exact words down beforehand instead of just rambling in. As much as Darth Nox was a master manipulator, Shiwon was was just as bad as ever when it came to talking about actual emotional subjects. She sighed.  
“I was wondering if you could come and be my… person. For the official stuff and, well, the rest too.” She looked at her still somewhat quiet friend.

 

The moment she saw Jiune break out into a smile she was relieved beyond belief. 

 

“Do you even have to ask? Finally!” For the first time in this call Jiune’s smile had it’s usual warmth in it. “Of course I will. I’ll gladly be your ‘person’.” There was a slight hint of friendly mockery in her voice when Jiune said it and Shiwon wasn’t surprised. It wouldn’t have been her best friend if she wouldn’t mercilessly make fun of Shiwon’s utter inability to talk normally about emotional topics. 

 

She cleared her throat again. “Well then, that is great. Good talk!” She said a bit too stiffly before she smiled at Jiune and her voice became softer. “It really is, thank you! I’ll let you get back to your important things and we’ll talk when I am back from Ilum right?”

 

She was pretty sure she wasn’t imagining the conflicted look in her friend’s eyes as she agreed. “We will, take care Shiwon!” Jiune looked at her warmly and Shiwon did her best to return the look. “And congratulations!” 

 

“Thank you!” Shiwon was suddenly acutely aware of the fact that if only the slightest bit went wrong on either side this would probably be the last time they would ever see each other. She swallowed to get rid of the lump in her throat and tried her best to not let her sadness show in her smile. “Take care and I’ll talk to you soon!” With those words she turned the holoterminal off and Jiune’s face vanished. She had done all she could. She just hoped it was enough.

 

“Good luck!” Shiwon whispered into an empty room.

**Author's Note:**

> Elveny wrote a follow up from Jiune's pov here: http://archiveofourown.org/works/8519494


End file.
